Carlisle Borough Council will determine the fate of the police department’s emergency dispatch center, a monumental decision to be sure.

The possible transfer of the in-house dispatch duties to Cumberland County 911 has become the biggest hot-button issue in the borough this year.

Opponents fear public safety would suffer, saying residents would lose a fast, dependable, familiar service, because Carlisle would be lobbed in with the 64 other municipal agencies served by Cumberland County 911.

Carlisle is the only police department in Cumberland County to have an in-house police dispatch center. Of the 1,300 police departments in the state, it’s one of only 23 to boast dispatch operations.

Proponents of the transfer believe it would improve dispatch services by cutting redundancies and streamlining operations, while providing significant cost savings.

The seven-member group needs four supporters to close the dispatch center.

PennLive checked in with each of the seven council members to see where they stand on the issue, and to find out how the decision likely will shake out:

Council President Perry Heath

Carlisle Borough Council President Perry HeathSubmitted

“I truly believe that if borough residents fully knew the technology and quality of service available through the county, there would be far less contention. For all the reasons you mentioned in the [Aug. 12 article], and a few more, I am inclined to be in favor of the transition. Consider these additional facts:

"All of the police departments in Cumberland County are served by county dispatch. And only 23 of more than 1,300 police departments in the commonwealth have their own dispatch. Some of those are recognized as 911 centers, particularly in big city/counties. Are we really that unique?

"Neither radio system is perfect, but the digital age is here and we need to transition and grow with it.

"Although not primarily a money issue, cost savings cannot be ignored when you consider that the police department budget equals 84 percent of the property tax revenue, and that Carlisle Borough already has the highest real estate property tax in the county. And costs are only increasing given contract commitments and health care costs.”

Vice President Tim Scott

Carlisle Borough Council Vice President Tim ScottSubmitted

“This is an important and sensitive issue. By centralizing our emergency dispatch services, we will make the citizens of Carlisle safer. Safety and efficiency are the key reasons why we should centralize dispatch services. Why should taxpayers continue to pay for two services and not get the full benefits of both?”

Councilman Matthew Madden

Carlisle Borough Councilman Matthew MaddenSubmitted photo

“At this point, I am leaning toward the transfer with caution. I appreciate the residents' concern of access to the police and believe that while the public would notice some change, their quality of service should not be significantly impacted, as it pertains to police matters. I agree that there would be some luxuries lost by the officers, but I fear the public is missing the inherent problems within the current system, many of which were not discussed or quickly glossed over at the town hall.

"I recently spoke to a former resident who called 911 when an intruder was in her yard and on [the] porch. When she made her plea for help to the call taker, the call taker recognized that it was a borough call to dispatch. The call was then transferred and the resident had to re-explain her situation. All of this, while the intruder was just outside. With county handling our dispatch, these moments would not have been lost.

"While it is obvious that both sides can make anecdotal arguments to support one way or another, it appears to me [the] structure of the plan proposed by the [police] chief [Stephen Margeson] and [borough] manager [Matt Candland] should largely address the concerns outlined in the chief’s initial report.

"That all said, my biggest outstanding concern is that of police safety. I do support the chief in his desire to have a better understanding of the county’s radio system within the borough limits. I agree that we cannot count on the funding to be there at the county level to ensure a reliable system and that we should know what costs may be associated with ensuring reliable communication for our officers.”

Councilwoman Linda Ceconello

Carlisle Borough Councilwoman Linda CeconelloSubmitted

“I will not vote for the transfer to go. There is nothing right now that is going to change my mind whatsoever.

"I think it was a total financial decision. I don’t care what anyone tells me. Three years ago, we discussed this and the whole reason was financial. What we have, as far as I’m concerned, is the best of what we can have for the borough. It’s a matter of safety of residents, safety of police officers. It’s a well-oiled machine.

"I will speak out against it until the day I die. Our officers aren’t for it, our community isn’t for it and we were elected to listen, and I hear them loud and clear.”

Councilman Don Grell

Carlisle Borough Councilman Don GrellSubmitted

"I continue to oppose transferring our dispatch duties to the county. I believe our recent research on this subject has shown that this is not a duplication of services, but that our dispatchers do much more than dispatch police officers. They allow us to keep the police station open to the public 24/7, which is helpful for routine matters, and could be vital to someone in distress. They perform many administrative tasks for our police officers, and they monitor our security cameras, including providing a valuable advance look when a police incident is within view of the cameras. All of these activities work toward the goal of having civilian employees do as much as possible, so that police officers can focus on police work.

"We have also learned that the borough dispatchers provide better information on a response than the county employees can, since our dispatchers focus on a single municipality. Through years of experience our dispatchers know the borough's geography and citizens better, they provide better support to our police officers when responding to a call, and they can hang on the phone with a caller in distress in a way the county dispatchers cannot.

"But beyond these items and a few more, I do not believe that there is a single police officer on our force that believes this is a good idea. These officers work with our system every day and regularly interact with the county and they believe our system is better.”

Councilwoman Robin Guido

Carlisle Borough Councilwoman Robin GuidoSubmitted

"While the town hall meeting was interesting, I do not feel that any new information was presented that would sway me one way or the other. However, after talking to a resident after the council meeting on Thursday, I do have a question that I plan to get an answer to this week from the County 911 center. This question could raise an officer safety issue, and I do not want to make a decision before I have an answer. So, where do I stand? I am still considering the switch, but do not want to do anything that would jeopardize the safety of our officers or residents.”

Carlisle Borough Councilwoman Dawn FlowerSubmitted

Councilwoman Dawn Flower did not respond to interview requests.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Carlisle Borough Council will vote on whether to transfer the police department's emergency dispatch operations to Cumberland County.

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